Sealing element



June 30, 1953 o. Y. WEHMANEN 2,643,904

SEALING ELEMENT Filed Feb. 14, 1947 FTE 5 ze scar y. Wemanen i' *UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE I l astaeifsl' Y' t.

. SF-,AWG ELEMENT Oscar-Y. Wehmanen, Fort Worth,V Tex., assigner to Consolidated Vultee Aircraft Corporation,

San Diego, Calif., a corporation of Delaware; K H Y 'Applicatibnrebmary 14,1947,serialNofrzaiir .Y 1 Claim..

This invention relates to improvements-in sealing means adapted to be utilized in conjunction with bolts or rivets in the construction-of fuel tanks andV similar fluid receptacles.

AIt is common practice in the aircraft industry to construct fuel Astorage means which are an essential part of the wing structureitself and which are referred Vto as integral fuel-tanks. Naturally, constructions such as -f this propose many problems, among 'them being the difficulty of sealing the Shanks-o1.e rivetsfor bolts which are utilized in the construction of these integral tanks. Although highest tolerances are specified it is almost inevitable that some of the holes in the structures to b e joined will be slightly oversize and thus the leakage 'of highly volatile fuel 1"...

the gap between bolt or rivet and the sides of the hole by the use of liquid sealants sprayed in the interior of the tank. Such expedients, while moderately successful, have not been uniformly so and the present invention was developed to provide a positive means for sealing the gap between the shank of the fastener 'and the sides of the Ihole in which it has been inserted. Although the invention is described as used in conjunction with integral fuel tanks in aircraft it is conceivable that it would be applicable to uses in many other types of fluid containing or storing vessels and it is not intended that. the invention be limited to use in sealing aircraft fuel tanks alone.

It is, therefore, an object of this inventionto provide positive means for sealing the gap between the Shanks of fasteners utilized in the construction of fluid containing vessels.

Another object of this invention is the provision of fastener sealing means which consists of a backing element of sheet metal having formed thereupon gasket means having an internal bead adapted to seal the gap between the shank of said fastener and the sides of the hole in which said fastener has been inserted.

An additional object of the present invention is the provision ofr sealing means for the shanks of fastening means which is designed to be forced against that part of the shank of said fastening means which lies within the hole in which it has been inserted. Y

OtIher objects and advantages of the present invention will be made apparent upon reading the specification and consulting the accompanying drawing in which:

'fl-"Figure 1 'is' a verticalsectional View 'showing sealingv means constructed in" accordance with the-'present invention mounted o-n fastening means prior to the tightening up of said fastening means; f

Figurev 2 is a vertical sectional view showing the deformation of the 'gasket portion of the sealing means about the'shank ofthe fastening means caused by the compressive forces executed upon said sealing 'means when said fastening means is tightened up; 1' f f- Figure -3 is' av'vertical'sectional'view ofthe two elementsvr coinir-isng the sealing means'before they are 'join'ed' t'og'etlier';"fv

`ligure 4 is`r ai vertical vsectional view showing thetwo elements' of the -sealing means joined together; if",

Figure 5 is Aa 4bottoni plan viewof the'gasket `portion-0I"` the sealing element showing the raised annular wedge-shaped portion of resilient materialiwhich is arl-"integral part of I said gasket portion;

`-Figu-refi'X is a vertical-sectional view showing ythe usef-oftheffsealing e'lenientV in conjunction with 'afround-headirivet; -T

'Figure' isla yertcal sectional' View' showing the use of the sealingelernent in conjunction with a'ffflushrivet,zandw Sli -l 1 c Figure 8' is a detailed;V sectional view ywhich shows` the manner in which the sealing element seals'the shank `of the fastening element with which itis utilized.

There is shown in the drawings (Figure 4) a preferred embodiment '9 of 'the subject invention. The sealing element consists, in this case, of a Vmetallic backing element consisting in a circular, lsteelwasher I0, wlhich has .formed in the center thereof a hole II. The greater portion of the walls of the hole II is chamfered at an angle of 45 to provide a bevel I2 at thelower portion of the walls of the hole II.

Adapted t0 be vulcanized or otherwise affixed to washer I0 is a circular gasket or resilient element I3 which has formed therein a hole lli which is concentric with the hole Il in washer I0 when the washer and resilient element are joined together. The hole I4 in sealing element or gasket I3 is surrounded by an internal, triangular-shaped bead or lip I5. The upper wedgeshaped portion I6 of triangular-shaped bead I5 is adapted to seat in the bevel I2 cut in the side walls of hole II in backing element Ill. The lower wedge-shaped portion Il of triangularshaped bead I5 depends below the underside I8 of resilient gasket I3. 1

When a bolt I9 (Figure 1) having a head 22 3 and a shank 23 is inserted in holes 24 and 25 in sheets of metal 2E and 2T, respectively, to form a lap joint between said sheets one sealing element 9 is placed beneath the head 22 of the bolt I9 with the underside IIS of the gasket I3 and the lower wedge-shaped portion I1 of triangular-shaped bead I5 facing downward and adapted to contact the upper side of sheet 26. Another sealing element 9 is inserted on the lower portion of shank 23 and is supported thereon by means of a nut 28 which is threadedly engaged with the shank 23 of bolt I9. In

face of the sheets against which it is compressed, thus providing a double seal which is further augmented by an auxiliary bead 36 formed on the periphery of gasket I3, when the fastener with which the sealing element is associated is tightened down.

There is thus disclosed a sealing element which, in addition to sealing the surface about the hole in which a fastener is inserted, also seals the shank of the fastener in that portion ofthe hole which is oversize and past which this case the underside I3 of gasket I9 is turned upwardly with the lower portion ITI of triangularshaped bead I5 facing the underside of sheet 27.

When the nut Z8 is tightened upon the threads of shank 23, sealing elements 9 are drawn into Contact with the upper surface of sheet 29 and the lower surface of sheet 2l. Should there be a gap between the shank 23 of bolt I9 and the side walls of holes 25 in sheet 26 and 25 in sheet 21 the compressive force exerted upon the gasket I3 by the tightening of said bolt will cause the wedge-shaped portion Il of triangularbead I5 to ow into the gap between said shank and said side walls, causing the formation (Figure 8) of a downwardly or upwardly projecting annular sleeve 29 out of wedge-shaped portion I? o f triangular bead I5 and preventing the leakage of fuel about the shank 23 of bolt I9.

There is shown in Figure 6 the utilization of sealing elements 9 in conjunction with a round head rivet 30, of conventional type, which has had formed on the lower portion of shank 3I thereof an upset or made head 32, the formation of which has exerted compressive force upon sealing elements 9 to cause the gasket bead I5 to seal 01T the shank 3I should the holes in which it has been inserted prove to be oversize and capable of permitting the leakage of fuel past said shank.

In Figure 7 the application of the sealing element 9 to the problem of sealing the shank 33 of a flush head rivet 34 is shown. Because of the shape of the rivet only one sealing element can be used and that is juxtaposed to the underside of sheet 21 by the formation of upset head 35 on the lower portion of shank 33. The formation of head 35 exerts suflicient compressive force to cause the sealing action of bead i5 of gasket 1 I3 to take place and to seal off shank 33 from the possible leakage of fluid or fuel.

In addition t sealing oif the shank of fasteners with which it is associated, sealing element 9, through the medium of the body portion of gasket I3, acts as a seal against the surchanges may be made in the construction which will, nevertheless, fall within the scope of the claim appended hereto.

I claim:

A composite sealing element for a bolt having a head portion and a shank portion, comprising a backing element having an opening passing centrally therethrough, with the wall defining said opening having a bevel formed therein, a gasket member comprising a body portion formed of resilient material coextensive in area to said backing element, and which body portion is bonded to one face of said backing element, said body portion having a circular opening therein of constant diameter throughout its height aligned with the opening in said backing element, and an integral bead formed on said body portion about the periphery of the opening therethrough and extending into the bevel in said backing element.

OSCAR Y. W'EHMlANEN.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name w Date 326,345 rIaylor Sept. 15, 1885 1,208,620 Moser Dec. 12, 1916 1,356,404 Robinson Oct. 191920 1,841,051 Podel Jan, l2, 1932 '2,014,451 Pfeifer, Jr. Sept. 17, 1935 =2,097,713 lAshley Nov. 2, 1937 2,123,035 Ashley July 5, 1938 2,287,135 Robertson June 23, 1942 2,310,405 Dodge Feb. 9, 1943 2,353,988 Batesole et al July 18, 1944 2,367,697 Stitz et al Jan. 23, 1945 2,419,385 Beier Apr. 22, 1947 

